Millen is chased out of the Lions Den

The Detroit Lions have unseated longtime president and GM Matt Millen. Sports enthusiast are aware that this was part of the vestige from William Ford Jr.'s comments on (i think) Monday. Millen has held the position since 2001, however to the disdain of many fans for the last few years. At this junction it is unclear if Millen begrudgingly left or if his term was truncated by father Ford. Nonetheless three weeks into the 2008-2009 NFL season he is gone (or exiled). The Lions are a NFL worst 31-84 across Millen's tenure.

I will state this disclaimer first: I do not follow the Lions like most people in Detroit, however i follow every team if that makes sense. I cannot say with 100% certainty that Millen was the exact cause of the downtrodden franchise. Some of his moves are obviously bad but i don't know if they were that egregious. For instance, Lions have had, i believe, four coaches in his tenure (Marinelli, Mornhinweg, Mariucci, Jauron), none of them were bad coaches though. Apparently Millen has an affinity for the letter M, but i digress, Marinelli who is currently seated as head coach came from a relatively prosperous team in Tampa Bay who won the Superbowl in 03. The pillar of that team was its defense, especially the defensive line (Sapp, Simien-Rice, McFarland) and guess what Marinelli was the defensive line coach. Mariucci, took the 49ers to multiple playoff appearances, albeit never reaching the Superbowl. The height of his success was the NFC Championship game. Jauron was mildly successful with the Chicago Bears, even though i think he only took them to the playoffs once in a short stint, but he really doesn't count because he was just a temporary replacement. Mornhinweg was supposed to be from this transcendent line of NFL coaching glory, the Mike Holmgren lineage, so i can't really fault him for trying that out either. Now Mornhinweg is the Offensive coordinator at Philly, and us football fans know their offense gets busy! So with the coaches i don't see any deplorable decisions but i have never worked for an NFL franchise and don't know the undercurrent of the business.

Im not in the Detroit Lions War Room on draft day when they select their draft picks but the common notion is that he is largely responsible for those too, so i will go with that theory. The first blunder was Joey Harrington, who was highly successful in college at Oregon, led them to a Fiesta Bowl win (which is pretty impressive) and Pac-10 champs, the boy looked good. I won't go through every draft pick, because most of them are solid, but the two draft picks that people harp on are Charles Rogers and Mike Williams. Anyone who watched Michigan St. football has to lay off Millen on this pick, Charles was easily one of the best college receivers of his decade. He won the Fred Biletnikoff award for the best receiver in the NATION that year, he broke MSU's record for touchdowns in a career and receiving yards in a game with 270. In fact the Lions would have been silly to pass on him. Mike Williams was a beast at USC as well, in fact i remember vividly calling my dad while i was at work and he was in the car with uncle Roy and i was excited for the Lions because they just drafted Mike Williams. As a freshman Williams set a Pac-10 freshman record with 14 touchdowns and 1,265 yards (18 years old). The next year he had 16 touchdowns, they only played 13 games, and he amassed 1,314 yards. The only thing incredulous about him was that he had to sit out of football that one year because he tried to follow Maurice Clarett who challenged the NFL's rule to be eligible for the draft (3 years removed from high school or age 21) who lost that decision. Both receivers are currently unemployed, i actually feel bad for them for being selected by the Lions. The rest of the draft selections are typical for what they are.

However personally i think the franchise is just cursed. Matter of fact look it up, THE CURSE OF BOBBY LAYNE. I understand that there is no excuse for the futility the organization has displayed, especially in proportion to the fan support. But honestly, i don't think it was Millen's fault, whom ever was in his position was going to have to succumb to the curse. Or maybe he was part of the curse. I also understand that as a business you have to what you can to save face with your customers (or the fans), because if you lose the fan base then you will lose out as well, simple business concept, i think. However the curse should be over after this season, so perhaps the Lions will begin to turn it around.

Google rescinds Abortion stance

Google has reformed their advertising protocol concerning the word "abortion". Recently a lawsuit was filed against Google by a Christian institute (British) which was refused the opportunity to take out ads that used the word "abortion". The Christian institute is assuredly against abortion wanted to advertise because the House of Commons was considering a bill that dealt with the topic of abortion.

The inconsistency was apparent as Google would sell ads to secular groups or even doctors who advertised using the magic word. Google of course has standards and protocol for advertising practices, it would not allow ads for products derived from endangered species or ads that promoted violence, and in the past it would not sell the keyword to religious groups. However since the rift, the Christian Institute and Google have reached a settlement and Google has amended their policy. A spokesperson for Google said "We build out our policies based upon local customs and business practices and, as any sensible business would do, review them from time to time to make sure they are up to date and current,”. Well i suppose it was time for an update. The terms of course were not conveyed in the article but Google immediately began running ads linked to abortion from religious groups that were deemed to be factual, and not graphical or emotional ads.

How did Google think this was going to slide, especially if you let everyone else use the word. I know the subject is polarizing but every coin has two sides and you have to play fair. Regardless of your ideology on abortion it's good to see that the companies came to an amiable resolution. And on an even better note Google essentially admitted they were in the wrong, not often that you get apologies from big business. Perhaps there is hope after all.

Bush won't let Ike beat T...

George Bush toured the Texas region in a brief appearance to address the hurricane dilemma, of course he did a fly over first. This was a two and a half hour trip and his third trip to the region in two weeks. Apparently Bush felt compelled enough to take care of his home state of Texas and display a level of concern. The government is already allotting food and resources to the afflicted so i suppose this second test has prompted a more efficient response. Some may perceive Bush to be responding on a biased basis but I will take it for face value.

I was encouraged to also read that they were activating a plan to reimburse displaced Texans for lodging. Bush also urged the people to stay away until the authorities advised them to come back. The article insinuated that many were trying to come back already to what was described as unsafe conditions, but i suppose many of the people were concerned about the compounding cost of their lodging and eating expenses. I've never been through any natural disaster of this magnitude but i would say you gotta wait until they deem it safe. Yesterday i heard a report that some of the regions like Galveston may not have power for up to two weeks. I hope progress is expedited and the people can resume living. We shall see.

Lupe Fiasco- Coulda been

This is kinda overdue but this is a mixtape track from one of my twin favorites, Lupe Fiasco (the other is Joe Budden) called "Coulda Been". When you're going through life and things don't always go the way you planned them just think of what it coulda been. My mantra is "I thought i was messed up with no shoes, until i met a brotha with no feet". This is just a little food for thought or mind wine to help you in your prime time. My goal is just to help people gain a little perspective. What can i say, you know im always here to help. Enjoy.

Hollywood's Offspring

I was just thumbing through the internet, as if it were a book, however i caught a headline that showcased Jessica Alba and her new offspring. Usually i don't dabble in the chaotic celebrity realm but this made me pensive and i thought of all the other celebs like Halle Berry (most recently) who show off their offspring. I am aware that magazines capitalize on the public's insatiable and voracious celebrity desire but what does an offspring (you like how i keep using that word) have to do with anything. Most haven't even developed distinct features yet.

To my understanding it has reached the threshold where now celebs are willing to submit photos to keep the malicious camera totters away. But how did we get here, was it always like this? People have been creating offspring for years and it just doesn't seem like the fiasco was apparent years ago, perhaps with technology expands availability. My conjecture is that 'loids have intentionally and covertly created a new desire among society. In the world of Hollywood redundancy the 'loids have created a new demand (if my memory serves me correctly about the past)! They make up "games" that people can play along with. For instance when they started naming couples e.g. Brangelina, everyone can try to make the best name. Now the game i suppose is who has the best looking offspring (lol). But with each game they create it allows everyone to play along. TMZ and OK magazine are XBOX for celebrity culture. Think about that and get back with me.

Oh, and thank you for bearing with my selfish desire to use the word, offspring. P.S. I bet you don't know whose baby i used for this picture. Shame on you if you do, then this post was just for you!

My Award

I got an award from fellow blogger expert Autumn Jones and i have to do my due dillegence. The award is for "blogs whose content and design are brilliant as well as creative."

The rules are as follows:
1. When you receive the prize you must write a post showing it, together with the name of who has given it to you, and link them back
2. Choose a minimum of 7 blogs (we do it different on the Sofa though) that you find brilliant in their content or design.
3. Show their names and links and leave them a comment informing they were prized with ‘Brilliant Weblog’
4. Show a picture of those who awarded you and those you give the prize (optional).
5. And then we pass it on!

My Slick Six consists of:

1. Autumn Jones

2. We Love Kicks

3. Lupe Fiasco

4. SlamxHype

5. Yeezy

6. BBC

Ocho Cinco es Loco?

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver formerly known Chad Johnson officially changed his name earlier in the week to Chad Javon Ocho Cinco. The NFL officially recognizes the name change and the process is complete. Despite where you stand on the personality that is Ocho Cinco, remember he is in the entertainment business.

It appears that most media pundits are now tired of him and this is the straw that breaks the camels back. They say he is constantly in the news and is always seeking attention, and those allegations may or may not have credibility depending on your perception. But the media has handled him inappropriately and often misrepresented him. I have met plenty of Chad's but the media is apparently just being introduced. Often times he is toying with the media because they come to him for sound bites and he knows it just as well as everyone else, but the error is when they take him seriously. He is Shaq but ten times as sarcastic, and if this makes any sense he is serious about playing. The other portion of this is the notion that the media is tired of him, but have they not realized that they keep coming to him and they are in control of the airwaves. Therefore i don't believe them because if they were really perturbed by him then they wouldn't seek him out as often as they do.

Bottom line is that he is the entertainment business and really everything that he has done (except maybe one thing) is harmless. The main is totally innocuous. So if the man wants to change his name...let him, if he wants to talk about hitting his quarterback in the knee...let him, if he wants to talk about being the Charles Haley pool champ and beating Mike Phelps...LET HIM. Oh and by the way he is easily one of the top 5 receivers in the NFL.

Culture Shot

Yesterday Jacksonville Jaguars DE, Richard Collier was shot near downtown Jacksonville and was reported to have life threatening injuries. He was sitting in a car with another former football player waiting for a lady to come out of her apartment. The shooting reportedly happened around 2:45 a.m. in an upper-middle class neighborhood.

It seems that lately more and more sports players have been getting attacked. Just earlier this summer Raiders WR Javon Walker was abducted and beaten unconscious in Vegas as he was simultaneously robbed. Apparently they tracked him to his hotel room. I won't detail everybody but look at Eddie Curry, Antoine Walker, Sean Taylor, Sebastian Telfair and Darrent Williams as well. I was just talking about this type of thing with Record and it just so happens that i saw this report. The portentous obstacle that we need to hurdle is the mindset that alot of victims as well as attackers have. I read a comment on one of the boards that said "that's what these guys get... where im from you can't wear it if you can't keep it, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN". A lot of people have this mentality. Despite whoever you may think you may be and your status, there are folks out there that are going to "try you" for it. They don't care who you are. Im not saying that any of these athletes are in the wrong places or anything like that because that's not the case. But i think it would behoove you to know how the goons think. There is also two sides to every coin, that admiration you get for having the luxuries of life is great but those things can get you the same amount of envy or ill-will. There is a level of responsibility and awareness you need to have when you are drawing a little more attention to yourself.

I think it is unfortunate just as many people do, but you have to understand the game if you want to play it. I also understand that every situation is different but overall I just hope that these violent acts calm down but i guess we will have to wait to see.